One type of liquid dosing system uses a pump to draw liquid from a source container, followed by actuation of a valve or stopcock to dispense the drawn liquid. Another type of dosing system requires users to invert/revert the source container back-and-forth or squeeze the container to direct fluid to a reservoir before eventual dispensing of the directed fluid. In either system, precision of the dispensed volume may be limited. Also, using such systems may be time intensive and may subject users to unwanted exposure to potentially harmful material that is being transferred.
Further systems may use the principle of gravity-fed dispensing wherein the container with the material to be transferred is placed above the receiving vessel. A dispensing system having a series of valves and chambers then meters out a specific dosage. In such systems, a metering valve is open while a dispensing valve is closed so as to charge the measured dose. The metering valve is then closed and the dispensing valve is opened to thereby dispense the measured dose within the receiving vessel. The dispensing valve is then again closed before reopening the metering valve to recharge the dosage chamber with the next measured dose. While these systems may be more precise and have reduced chances of incidental contact by the user, such systems use complicated arrangements that may become damaged/leak or may frustrate users when trying to perform operations in the correct order for proper dispensing.
Thus, there remains a need for a dosing cap that repeatedly delivers a measured dose without requiring a user to return the container to its upright position between dosages and minimizes or eliminates the possibility of user contact with the dispensed material. The present invention satisfies these, as well as other, needs.